Freight News, Sea

Devil is in the detail of new container weight rules, says ESC

[ June 2, 2014   //   Chris ]

The European Shippers Council says that a number of conditions are needed for the practical implementation of the new regulation obliging shippers to verify the weight of the containers, which was recently approved by the International maritime Organisation.

The European authorities and member states must undertake to secure the use of a certified reconstruction of the gross weight of the goods, while shippers claim that the responsibility of the tare of the container cannot be their responsibility but is clearly that of the ship-owner.

The ESC is also calling for the creation of a working group at European level led by DG MOVE, to ensure that the measure does not harm economic recovery or obstruct traffic flows though European ports.

To do this, all stakeholders must agree on an acceptable margin of error, to avoid port congestion but without jeopardizing the safety of personnel or ships.ESC warns that failure to come to an acceptable solution might harm sea transport and favour all-road solutions.

Tags: container weight verification, ESC